Relocating to ATL - Lake Lanier Questions?
 

Guys - My business unit was just told last Monday that we are going to be moved to ATL from the Lake Norman area. A few questions as I gather what me and the misses are going to do:

Where does everyone boat? We are coming from Lake Norman which is a great lake.

Where do people keep there boats for rack storing? I see there is a few places on Lanier but I haven't talked to anyone with some real life experience. I gave up trailer’n two years ago.

Water level on Lanier? I can see the history from just doing the searches on here.

It seems in the little searching and talking to the folks that I do know - Lanier is a pretty nice lake and where the action is. True?

Anyone been on LKN and Lanier and have a good comparison? Seems Lanier is much much bigger from looking on the map. Good eats and drinks on Lanier?

Thanks for all the help. We are looking at Smyrna and Vinings for the ATL suburbs to live.

Mike

If you are looking to live in smyrna or vinings I would recommend that you join us at lake allatoona. its quite a bit smaller than hartwell but its a lot closer and there are wuite a few performance boats on the lake. there is always lanier too but its a haul also. I have been to hartwell once for the poker run and it was a blast but damn its a long way from atlanta.

WOW - WOW, total brain fart. Was looking at Hartwell on the map and meant Lanier. This should be a much better place for this thread.

:lolhit:

Thanks for the feedback. Was looking and doing some mapquesting and it looked like 45 mins to the south side of Lanier from Smyrna.

What makes you go to Allatoona than Lanier?

Thanks,

Mike

the biggest reason is that it is so much closer for me. its only 8 miles for me to allatoona. Lanier gets pretty rough on the weekends(at least it does when there is water in it lol) and my boat is considered small(25' daytona) so I choose to stay here. plus there are quite a few of us on allatoona taht are really into performance boats so...................

I am on Lanier and its is great. Lots of power boats and not far from full now. Check us out at www.cocktailcove.com

We lived on Lanier and commuted to Marietta for 9 years. Every day was like going on vacation when going back to the lake. We use to boat on Allatoona when we lived in Marietta, but got the opportunity to move to Lanier. No regrets!

That web site looks very helpful. Is the tie place in a no wake zone? The biggest issue on LKN is the main tie up is in a wake zone. We don't frequent it often because of this.

Whats the drinking law on Lanier?

Unless you need to be near the city. check out Alpharetta as a place to live. Quiet suburbs, and close to Lanier.

We just moved to ATL from Pa. almost a month ago. We bought in East Cobb and love the area. We have a Marietta address, but we are only minutes from Woodstock and pretty close to Allatoona.

We did scope out Allatoona last Sunday afternoon. Not a bad lake, just don't know anything on it or where the hang outs are. We launched at Kellogg Creek which is a pain in the azz by yourself with kids!!! We did find what seemed to be a "party cove" of sorts.

That being said, Allatoona boaters keep an eye out for us!!! I would like to know where to go and open to free advice about the lake!!

Here's a pic of our boat and a pic of the "cove" we idled in and out of on Sunday.

Illnois Creek (cove?) is the hangout spot on Allatoona

We lived in Atlant from '99-'05. Lanier is as good as it gets.

If you can live where you want and don't need to live closer to your job I'd take a good look around Lanier itself or up 400 from Alpharetta.

We lived in Dacula area and were about 10 miles fom Lake. Good places and schools, close to I85. Braselton area to the north has alot of new builds and is growing around Chateau Elan. Plus closer to the lake paralell to Flowery Branch. I685 has good access also.

Lanier is busy on the weekends but you can always find some peace up the lake.

I believe there are 3 stacked storages all on the south end, 1 on the Bufford side and 2 on the Cumming side.

Several dining spots on the water that vary as ownership changes. CockTail Cove in LL Islands is the "spot" to tie up and "sight see". Look for Freddie in the Miami Heat Scarab and the Houseboat the Abyss. Abyss is a pepetual weekend party with lots of "T&A" to gaze upon. Freddi is just well Freddie, a character and uncrowned King of the Cove.

Water level is prone to lower in dry periods but we saw full pool 4 of our 6 summers.

Alatoona is alright, but they lower the lake in the winter and it to me is not near as appealing. Hartwell is only 50 miles north on I85 from the Mall of GA and makes for a good weekend trip. This is a big lake that is rarely anywhere near crowded. Relaxing but not much as far restaurants on lake anyway. A run up to Clemson is pretty cool. You can see the stadium which is only about a mile and hear the cheers on a fall home weekend.

Law enforcement on Lanier is no problem if you stay cool and an open drink is basically like most everywhere. Common sense prevails.

Another good extendedweekend is Chatanooga.

I think you'll like Atlanta and if you can live near Lanier, you won't have to deal with the city stuff except if you choose.

LAKE NORMAN IS NOT A GREAT LAKE! LAKE NORMAN IS THE BIGGEST LAKE IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE GREAT LAKES ARE ERIE, MICHIGAN, SUPERIOR, HURON AND ONTARIO! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ONE OF THESE LAKES? LAKE NORMAN IS A MUD PUDDLE COMPARED TO ANY OF THESE LAKES. GET YOUR STUFF STRAIGHT! LAKE NORMAN DOESN'T SPAN THREE OR FOUR STATES LIKE MOST OF THE GREAT LAKES DO. YOU CAN DRIVE AROUND LAKE NORMAN IN A COUPLE OF HOURS OR LESS. YOU CAN DRIVE FROM BUFFALO TO CLEVELAND IN THREE HOURS AND STILL NOT GONE AROUND A QUARTER OF LAKE ERIE. JUST BECAUSE NORMAN IS BIG TO YOU DOESN'T MAKE IT GREAT!

Wow Sabre step back for a minute.. I think he was saying LKN is just an all around good lake. Not actually part of the "Great Lakes"

Five Cent Worth- We haven't spent a whole lot of time on Lanier or Allatoona, but the time we have spent as been great. It's funny due to my job I've spent more time on LKN.

We are in the Marietta / East Cobb area and so far it's been a great place to live, work, play.

Thanks C M R..........you beat me to it!!

Glad to see there are other boaters in the East Cobb/Marietta area. I have talked to a few others, but haven't had the chance to meet up with any of them on the water.!!

Ohio/Ga.
 

CMR, noticed you had location OHIO/GA.
We live in northeast GA. in the winter, spend summer at Cedar Point Marina on lake erie.

Thanks buddy. Great post. Appreciate all the feedback.

My office is going to be in the thick of things (Sandy Springs)so I will have to live close to the city.

Will be checking out some marinas in the next few months. March is our ETA.

LOL, my man - I am from NE OH. I have been in and around Erie all my life. I could walk blindly from bar to bar at PIB. I have watched the guys on this forum come in and out of the Casino at Kelly's in my little 24.5 ft puddle jumper.

Like the guys said above - "great" was intended to imply: good, fun and enjoyable. It satisfies all the needs me and the misses have and we are hoping that everyone on the baord tells us Lanier is the same as LKN.

Old Texan has it right - I live on the lake on the north end (Gainesville) If you are near sandy springs go slightly farthur north into Alpharetta. Lake Lanier is only 5 feet from full pool and has a lot to do as well as the fact that it is pretty big. Do yourself a favor and get a map or GPS take a ride up to the north end or one ov the veins that run north up under route 53 toward 400 past Denver island.

Thanks. We are an upper 20's couple with no kids (getting married 8/15!) and looking at some young places to live. We hear Smyrna, Vinnings and Marietta are some decent places to get a place. Seems the market is much more surpressed than up here.

Grew up in Ohio and we have always boated out of Catawba Island area.

Transfered down to ATL about 2 years ago and still commute back and forth monthly. Be back next weekend looking forward to hopefully making it over to KI!

Early congrats for you! Were in our 20's as well and like the Marietta area due the the convience of everything.

You'll find where ever you work you will want to live close that area. Traffic can be horrendous.

Five Cent Worth, my wife works in Sandy Springs and like I mentioned, we bought in East Cobb. I bought in a little older subdivision so that I would not have any conflict with having the boat at the house. If you store your boat, your options are endless. I know compared to Pa. you can get a lot of house for your money here. Also the property taxes are reasonable in Cobb County as well. They seemed a little higher in Fulton County and a little cheaper yet in Cherokee county!! I do really like it here. You are close to a lot of different things. The downtown attractions are a reasonable commute. I am 12-13 miles to the boat ramp at Allatoona and maybe 35 minutes or so to Lanier depending on what ramp and traffic.

Congrats on the wedding and good luck on the move!! It can get overwhelming!!

[QUOTE=C M R;2926376]Grew up in Ohio and we have always boated out of Catawba Island area.

Transfered down to ATL about 2 years ago and still commute back and forth monthly. Be back next weekend looking forward to hopefully making it over to KI!

We are doing same thing, heading up next thurs to PNB for 4 days.

That is one thing that seems to be the on going theme in Charlotte and seems to continue in ATL - the shear amount of us mid-west transplants. OH, MI, PA and upstate NY seem to make up 75% - 85% of the transplants too. Makes it very easy to re-locate as I feel everyone that I meet grew up in the mid-west like I did. Very easy to relate to.

I often tell my parents that I anticipate the jobs heading back up north in 10 -15 yrs when those states get theirs head out of the sand.

If you are working in Sandy Springs stay on the 400 corridor. Lots of home for the money and lots of young families. Shoot South on 400 to go the work and shoot North on 400 to the West side of Lanier to play on the water. Great central location. More of a younger party crowd on Lanier. I'm an old poot with a home in NE Atlanta near Lanier and spend the summer at my lake house on Hartwell. Great central location. Atlanta is such a great place to start a family and develop your career. Two years and you won't head back North. Light years ahead of Charlotte for a young family. (Flack jacket on). Moved to Atlanta when I was 19 and been here 43 years

Dave

Thanks for the post. Good bit of info on the house hunting around 400.

The 1 post wonder. Hey man Frosted Flakes has nothing to do with water but their GRRRRRRRRREEEEAAAAAAAATTTT also. I like our mud puddle. I will be thinking about you when I am sipping a beer in November on my boat.

If you are looking for the lake that compares to LKN then Lanier is the lake to be on in ATL. They have 8 restaurants and 3 or 4 dry stacks. My personal opinion is Alatoona is a over blown creek system that is very narrow in alot of places. Every lake gets rough on the holidays but that is part of boating in big water. Cocktail cove is the place for the party on the water just about every weekend. There is about 60 miles of water S to N and plenty to do. Also if you don't have a trailer give me a call when you go to move can help you get your boat to ATL since our boats our about the same. 770-318-2591. I have lived here all my life and the 400 area would be the place live if your working in Sandy Springs and puts you in the middle of both the lakes close to ATL (would be like Gastonia to Wylie and LKN) Hartwell, Chatanooga, Knoxville, Dale Hollow and Cumberland are great for long weekenders.:ernaehrung004:

Also if you just want to meet some peeps on the lake give me a call on the water about every wknd (Lanier that is)

Great info. I will be hitting you up.

We love dining on the water dining and taking cruises to our favorite dining spot. What's some good ones? Any maps on where they are?

I,m not sure if the new lake map show's the resturants but 5 of them are at marina,s, 1 of those is brand new just opened this month, havent tryied it yet but will be hitting it Labor day wknd. 1 of the restuarunts is at Lake Lanier Island boat dock near cocktail cove, witch is ran by Big Creek Tavern that also has a dock for boaters to enjoy cold beer and food. Then there is one more up near what is called Browns Bridge that has a Elvis show brkfst buffet and dinner buffet that is pretty good. No sure when you are moving but there is a poker run that the local Marine max puts on in November and at the end they have a Low counrty boil that is always fun. Hit me up when you get water bound and the misses and I can show you around the lake. :ernaehrung004: Favorite so far would have to be Big Creek Tavern.

Hey let me know if you need assistance house hunting. My wife is an agent and has some great deals right now. Foreclosure sales are her specialty but can put you into the right area for the right price. We have lived here our whole life and the 400 corridor is where it's at for convenience.

Thanks. Thursday I will know where I stand as far as $$.

Foreclosure looks like tjhe only way to go right now in ATL. Seems you can buy up at leasst 30% on a foreclosure that isn't a dump and needs nothing.

Great info here. I am from Wisconsin and looking to extend my boating season to the south somewhere, maybe GA or TX not sure. We are looking for freshwater, good boating, close to a major airport etc.

How long is your boating season down there? I have a 35 Lightning and like to run it and burn some gas, it looks like Lanier is the place to be. We are not huge partiers, but do enjoy nice restaurants and good hang outs. Can anyone recommend a good marina with dry stack? I may just find a storage facililty and leave the truck, boat & trailer in there.

Sorry to highjack your thread, but thanks again for all the good info!!

Boating season usually runs until November, we will have a poker run around the 2nd weekend. We also get started around March but the temps you would be use to it would feel like summer till probably early Dec. Lanier is about Hr N of the airport and Hartwell is another 45 min witch you can make a 30 min run and never have to dethrottle prob further but alt of that lake i havent seen yet. The best dry stack on Lanier is Lazy Days Marina a few of are friends have boats there and love it. Great people to work with and stored inside. If you have anymore questions just let me know been here on the lake for 40 yrs.
:ernaehrung004:

Having looked at various lakes in the South myself, I was following not only the low water situations, but that weird ruling by the Judge down there, or lack of ruling. How's the LLA doing in their fight to keep Lanier open for recreation?

This lake has had level problems since the 60s, just not as bad and it has always came back but the big argument is where Atlanta will get its drinking water from not how much water to keep inthe lake for recreation all though its a great part of our community economic structure. The other states are only worried about the mussels not the humans. The lake levels have been just under 6 ft low and somewhat holding so should be ok but only time will tell still lots of water and plenty of fun.

Good bit of info. Good to see the thread is benefiting more than me!

How big can they rack (always looking to upgrade)? How far from Sandy Springs?

Allatoona has way more powerboats now. You better have a 30 foot plus boat on lanier or you will be in bad shape. I use allatoona on a weekly basis and have been to lanier also, allatoona is smaller but not bad at all. I would live in the middle that way you can go to both. Dont pick one or the other until you try them both, but if you have a 245 baja good luck on lanier.

Lazy Days can hold up to a 36ft boat with full service amenities. Sandy Springs is roughly 35 mins away with no traffic and you have multiple ways to travel. Also Alltoona is smaller and probably calmer but compared to LKN it is very small, and Lanier is only real rough on Holidays if you dont know how to drive your boat on it (stay on top out of the wake, not in it) Your boat is very equal to mine seeing that the main hull is out of the same mold and the only people that have a problem in my boat is the ones in the bow area if everyone is in the main cabin area is just fine. But comparing apples to apples Lanier is the closest thing to Norman , I know LKN gets rough on holidays also due to the size and population on it.